


An Unusually Fun Military Ball

by CaraAkame



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: F/M, FMA Rarepair Week, Fluff, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-08
Updated: 2016-09-08
Packaged: 2018-08-13 21:27:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7986844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaraAkame/pseuds/CaraAkame
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Riza hates parties, but this one turns out to be alright.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Unusually Fun Military Ball

**Author's Note:**

> This is for [Tumblr's FMA Rarepair Week](http://fmararepairweek.tumblr.com/post/145119194635/themes).  
> The prompts today were _Senses_ , _“Did you cut your hair? It’s nice.”_ , and _Soulmate AU_.  
>  Not my usual pairing, though I hope you enjoy this regardless!  
> Feel free to tell me what you think!
> 
> PS: This is unbeta'd so feel free to point out any mistakes!

It’s been a month since the defeat of the Dwarf in the Flask. It seems the newly appointed Fuhrer Grumman wanted to give people time to heal and grieve before celebrating. Now, however, that time has passed, making way for several victory celebrations, including the military ball Riza Hawkeye is now attending.

It’s a tedious affair. The Armstrongs have _graciously_ agreed to host this lavish party, and while the estate is quite beautiful, Riza has never been one to enjoy grandeur. Her father had trained Roy in their own mansion and she remembers escaping it more often than not in favor of the public park a few miles away. The best days were those where her father’s apprentice had come along, in search of a chance to recover from minor burns.

She had loved him then – still does – but hadn’t known in which way when they were young. He is family to her now, more than her own ever was with their money and their distance. She no longer begrudges Alex Armstrong his closeness to his family despite the _proper_ upbringing, but she remembers hating him for it in a corner of her mind when they first met.

 

It had been Alex, when they were children, in search of a playmate at the lavish parties, who had always said – sincerely, which almost made it worse – that perhaps her soulmate was a singer. She remembers thinking that would be awful, seeing as singing was one of the things that were expected of a girl with good upbringing to master, that she had failed miserably at.

As she got older she cut off her hair, telling herself it was an act of rebellion against the notion that having long hair as a woman was the only way to wear it because ‘ _no man of stature would marry a girl who looked and acted like a man_ ’. In hindsight is was only part of the reason, the other being that she hoped her soulmate would whisk her away and out of her miserable life as a future housewife.

When she joined the military she told herself she kept it short because it was practical, not because she hopes somebody could love her even though she was a murderer. At some point, however, she let it grow out, thinking it didn’t matter now. She thought she was going to die at some point – probably soon – protecting her family or in one of the many skirmishes around the border and didn’t have time for a love life anyway. She still wore it up and still doesn’t know if it was solely for practical reasons.

After the Promised Day she cut it short again, this time just thinking she liked the way it looked, it was practical and she didn’t care either way if her soulmate would ever show up.

 

She still hates parties and military balls are the worst. Especially now that it’s common knowledge that Roy and his team were essential for the victory. People keep shaking her hand and thanking her, complimenting her on her _dress_ of all things. It’s green and comfortable, nothing truly remarkable.

“Hello, Lieutenant. Did you cut your hair? It’s nice.”, says a warm voice behind her, startling her. ‘ _Did you cut your hair?_ ’ is the comment right under the alchemical symbol for voice on her neck.

She’s not used to being caught off guard and cannot stop herself from saying: “No, sadly it just shot back into my head.”, as flatly as she can manage once she’s turned around and recognized Major Miles. The man lets out a choked laugh and holds out his right arm. First she thinks he wants to shake her hand, but then she sees ‘ _Sadly it just shot back into my head_ ’ under the symbol for sight on the inside of his wrist and just stares at it.

“Well.”, she says after a good minute of silence, not knowing how to continue the sentence. Thankfully Miles seems to have collected himself when he saw his own handwriting on her neck and suggests: “Lieutenant Hawkeye, would you like to have dinner with me somewhere that isn’t here?”

“If you’re certain we won’t be missed, I’d be delighted.”, she answers after spotting Roy having a shouting match with Edward over the last chocolate dipped strawberry. He’ll be fine without her for one evening.


End file.
